Improvement in horse hay-forks



J. S. BROWN. Horse Hay Fork,

Patented July 17, 1866.

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in Fig. 1, or substantially thus, so that the UNITED STATES PArmQe J. S. BROWN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J. S. BROWN, of Washington, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented a new and Improved Hay-Elevator or Hay-Lewis; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification- Figure 1 being a side view of the instrument when closed for piercing the hay, straw, or other fibrous material; Fig. 2, an edge view of the same as in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side view of the same when spread open and its barbs or shoulders uncovered, as in the act of raising the hay Fig. 4, a side view of the instrument closed, representing some modifications of construction andoperation.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

The instrument has a shaft, A, of suitable length and size, pointed at the lower end, b, and having a ring or hook, B, at the upper end, by which it is attached to the rope whereby it is lifted. These are the essential structural parts of the instrument. It is inserted in to the hay by piercing with its point b and pushing at the ring B with the hands or foot. Once inserted into the hay, it is necessary to apply some means to cause it to hold the hay and lift what surrounds it. For this purpose I provide fixed barbs or shoulders G O on two opposite sides of the shaft, (one would imperfectly effect the purpose, and more than two might possibly be used,) a few inches above the point I), abrupt or about at right angles to the shaft, at the upper edges thereof, and sloping from their outer extremities to the point I) of the shaft.

The proportions of the parts may be about as shown in the drawings.

WVhen the hay has been elevated to the place desired it is necessary to remove the hold of the barbs O 0 from the hay. To effect this, instead of removing them from the hay, I cover them with sloping or wedge-acting bars D D, brought over them in the position shown wedge form or position of the bars will allow the hay to slide off and become disengaged from the instrument then,before or after the instrument is inserted into the hay, and before it can be lifted, the barbs are to be uncovered by removing the bars from over them.

In order to cover and uncover the barbs the bars are moved simply up and down, or outward and inward, around pivot-centers. In Figs.- 1, 2, and 3 they are represented to turn out and in around pivots 0 c. In Fig. 4 a single wedge-bar, D, is to slide up and down. In both cases the bars (or bar) are most properly raised to cover the barbs and lowered to uncover them but the reverse movement might be adopted.

When pivoted bars are used, as in the case above described in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the holes (Z d in the bars D D are made oblong or in the form of slots, to enable the bars to be shut down by each other; and when a sliding bar, D, is used, as in Fig. at, the slots t' i therein are vertical and. parallel.

In order to actuate the bars a rod, F, or its equivalent, is employed, its lower end, f, being bent and inserted in holes at d of the bars, or otherwise connected therewith, and its upper end terminating in a projecting handle, G, for depressing and raising it. It is depressed by hand and raised by a cord, H, or its equivalent, attached to the handle and extending thence up through the ring B of the shaft A.

A staple or band, h, through which the rod slides near the upper end, keeps the rod in proper position.

The instrument as thus far described is practically useful; but I find it preferable to add another feature thereto. This is to divide the shaft A, so that it may be opened at the lower end two or three inches and gradually less thence toward the upper end, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to give the whole a dovetail or inverted-wedge shape or outline after insertin g into the hay preparatory to lifting the hay, and then be closed again in the act of disengaging it from the hay after elevating. It is to remain closed also while entering the hay. Its closed position isshown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. In order thus to allow the shaft to open, one leg may be pivoted to the other near the upper end, as at a, Figs. 1, 2, and 3; or both legs may be flattened, as at :0 00, Fig. 4, toward the upper ends thereof and downward, so that they will bend outward and spring inward.

In order to open the legs of the shaft I employ the bars D D as toggle-bars, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, with round holes d 01 therein, as shown, or use the single wedge-bar D, with oblique slots i i, or their equivalent, therein, working over pins 0 c, substantially as shown.

When the toggle-bars are employed, as I prefer, they are so arranged that when opened they will descend a little below the transverse line y, as shown in red, Fig. 3, from pivot to pivot, and thus they will lock the legs of the shaft apart; then, by lifting the rod F with slight force till the end f ascends above the line y, the legs will close together by the pressure of the hay itself.

Different holes at din the toggle-bars will enable the legs of the shaft to be separated more or less, according to the quality of the hay or its compactness.

In both the toggle and the wedge arrangements the covering and uncovering bars may serve also to open and close the legs of the shaft.

In manufacturing, the shaft A may be made of a square rod of wrought-iron, (or the portions a; 00, Fig. 4, of cast-steel, when they are to bend,) about three-eighths or one-half of an inch square. The barbs O G are welded on at the lower end, and also the point or points I), of cast-steel, welded on, as shown, the red lines indicating the planes of welding. The legs are then split for the reception of the bars D D,

which are halved together where they lap each other. The barbs O G are chamfered or rounded at their upper edge, so that the bars D D will cover them, or leave no projections.

The advantages and superiority of this instrnmentare: While it operates with great ease and perfection, it is very simple and cheap in construction, having few parts, requiring comparatively very little material, and being very easy to form and construct, and its freedom from liability to break or get out of rerepair, for, as will be seen, there is no leverage of strain thrown upon any part, the hay acting simply by weight and compression upon it, and the act of moving the bars D I) being directly and immediately thereto near the lower end of the instrument.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The employment of movable bars D D to cover and uncover fixed barbs or shoulders U I 

